ReviewPhotodermatology, photoimmunology & photomedicine2025
PINGing Sunshine: A Review of the Evidence for Adding Non-Filtering Photoprotective Ingredients to Sunscreens.
Review in Photodermatology, photoimmunology & photomedicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Beyond Tint: Active Ingredient Strategies for Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation due to Visible Light in Skin of Color.Photodermatology, photoimmunology & photomedicine · 2026Review
- Biological Photoprotection: A Review of its Mechanisms, Evidence, and Clinical Implications.Dermatology and therapy · 2026Review
- Decoding Hyperpigmentation from Biological Mechanisms to Actives with Clinically Proven Topical Efficacy: A Narrative Review.Dermatology and therapy · 2026Review
- PINGing Sunshine: A Review of the Evidence for Adding Non-Filtering Photoprotective Ingredients to Sunscreens.Photodermatology, photoimmunology & photomedicine · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPhotoprotective INGredients (PINGs) are non-filtering agents that enhance the skin's intrinsic defenses against solar radiation. Acting through antioxidant, DNA repair, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, and pigmentation-regulating mechanisms, PINGs may prevent or repair photodamage. When incorporated into sunscreens, they offer protection beyond ultraviolet (UV) filters. This strategy of biological photoprotection could address key limitations of traditional sunscreens and reduce dependence on high UV filter concentrations.
methodsWe conducted a focused literature review based on our prior evidence-based classification of over 1700 topical PINGs. We selected ingredients with the strongest clinical and mechanistic support and assessed their biological activity, formulation compatibility, and relevance to key endpoints such as erythema, pigmentation, photoaging, and immunosuppression.
resultsTop-ranked PINGs, including L-ascorbic acid, tocopherol, photolyase, and nicotinamide, demonstrated efficacy across multiple photodamage endpoints. Antioxidants like L-ascorbic acid and tocopherol enhanced protection against UVR and IR-A-induced oxidative stress. DNA repair enzymes, such as photolyase, reduced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer formation and supported immune function. Nicotinamide improved DNA repair and prevented UV-induced immunosuppression. Pigmentation modulators such as p-coumaric acid and isobutylamido thiazolyl resorcinol showed benefits in darker phototypes.
conclusionsFewer than 2% of candidate PINGs are clinically validated, and only 18 are approved for use in sunscreens. Protection against visible and infrared radiation remains largely underexplored. Standardized testing and additional clinical trials are needed to advance PINGs as effective components of next-generation sunscreens.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.